The UTSA MBRS SCORE Program is designed to provide support for innovative, cutting-edge biomedical research projects and to enhance the research capabilities of the faculty and institution. The overall goals of the UTSA SCORE Program are to increase the research productivity and competitiveness of the faculty as well as significantly increase the number of minority faculty and students engaged in and pursuing biomedical research careers. The proposed research projects will provide an environment where MBRS faculty and students can actively engage in exciting and challenging biomedical research. UTSA has a proven commitment to the hiring and advancement of minority faculty. Moreover, UTSA enrolls a large, growing number of under-represented minority students (primarily Hispanic 7,797 or 42.4%), and has developed a number of active, federally-supported minority enhancement programs in one of the nation's top five Hispanic education universities. In addition, the UTSA is ranked second in the nation in the number of undergraduate degrees awarded to Hispanics in the Life Sciences. Continued funding of the UTSA MBRS Program will allow UTSA to develop and support 21 basic biomedical research laboratories, providing essential support for research activities, and excellent mentoring and training opportunities for under-represented undergraduate and graduate minority students. This research opportunities will be supported by many existing, shared institutional and divisional resources. MBRS SCORE research will be conducted in state-of-the-art research laboratories in the new Biosciences Building which opened this past Spring (98). This $17.2 million dollar, 3-story, 62,000 square feet research facility has been fully dedicated to research and research training. MBRS SCORE Projects and Principal Investigators include the following: 1) Dr. E. Barea-Rodriguez "Agrin and Integrin Expression in Learning and LTP"; 2) Dr. A. Cassill Derrick "Novelty-Induced Facilitation of Hippocampal LTP; 5) Dr. M. Gdovin "Neurobiology of Respiration in the Developing Amphibian"; 6) Dr. W. Gorski "Enzyme Electrodes Based on Chitosan Scaffolding"; 7) Dr. L. Haro "Biological Significance of 45 kDa Human Growth Hormone Variant"; 8) Dr. H. Heidner "Characterization of the Mosquito Furin Endoprotease"; Dr. R. Lebaron "Functional Properties of Human p68 (BIG-H3) Protein in Cornea"; 1) Dr. A. Martinez "Role of ApoE Isoforms in Development of AD-Like Pathology in Transgenic Mice"; 12) Dr. J. McClusky "Development of Polyurethanes with Enhanced Biostability; 13) Dr. G. Negrete "Conformationally Promoted Degradation of BPDE- DNA Adducts"; 14) Dr. R. Renthal "Membrane Protein Folding"; 15) Dr. A. Tsin "11-cis Retinyl Ester Hydrolase in the Eye"; 16) Dr. J. Walmsley "Metal-Mediated Molecular Aggregates of Guanine and Adenine Nucleotides"; 17) Dr. E. Wheeler "Developing Muscle and Aberrant Trk B Receptor Expression"; Media Exposure and Psychological and Physical Well-being.